BUTUAN CITY: The local government unit (LGU) of Tubajon in Dinagat Islands province welcomed the installation of an Automated Weather Station (AWS) in the town.

In a statement on November 26, Tubajon Mayor Simplicia Pedrablanca believed the facility would improve crop management among farmers with available real-time and accurate weather data.

“The municipality of Tubajon is thankful to the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga region (DA-13) for putting up an AWS as this will boost our agricultural production for the consumption of our more than 9,000 residents in our town,” said Pedrablanca.

The facility was formally turned over to the LGU on Saturday, November 25.

“Our current agricultural produce can only feed more than 4,000 of our population. With the support of this facility, we will be able to achieve food self-sufficiency and help our farmer-families improve their livelihood which will contribute to the reduction of poverty in our locality,” Pedrablanca said.

The AWS is part of the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiatives in Agriculture by the DA which will help the farmers in the town decide when to plant, irrigate and harvest their crops.

In a separate statement on Sunday, the DA-13 said the new facility would help the farmers in Tubajon optimize their agricultural practices which would potentially lead to increased yields and improved crop quality.

The DA-13 added that with the AWS, the farmers in the town can now better prepare for and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events such as typhoons, droughts, and heavy rainfall and help them reduce crop losses and minimize the economic impact of unpredictable weather on the agricultural sector.